The present invention relates generally to the folding and stowing of vehicle seats, and more particularly to the folding and stowing of vehicle seats in the rear quarter panels of the vehicle.
It is a known objective of all vehicle manufacturers to maximize the available storage area within the vehicle without significantly increasing its size. This is particularly true for vans, mini-vans, and sport utility vehicles. Increasing the size of the vehicle can be disadvantageous in that it can increase its cost as well as its weight and thereby decrease its fuel efficiency. It is also a known objective of these manufacturers to provide vehicles, such as vans, mini-vans, and sport utility vehicles that have increased seating capacity. A delicate balance must therefore be struck between increasing the storage capability of a vehicle and increasing the seating capacity of the vehicle.
One solution for trying to strike a balance between these competing objectives is the provision of removable seats. For example, in some prior mini-vans and vans, the rear seats can be removed individually or together to increase the storage capacity of the vehicle. The rear seats can then be placed back into the vehicle to increase its seating capacity as needed. However, these removable rear seats are typically heavy and bulky and often require more than one person to remove the seats from and then replace the seats into the vehicle. Additionally, the latch mechanisms for holding and locating these removable vehicle seats in their secure location can be cumbersome and difficult, which makes the removal and replacement processes more difficult and time consuming.
Another solution for trying to strike a balance between these competing objectives is by providing folding seats. Some current vehicles, including some sport utility vehicles, have configured the rear seats to fold downward to increase the storage area without having to remove the seats from the vehicle. However, the seats do not typically lie flush with the floor. Additionally, seats that can both fold and pivot are also known. While this arrangement is more desirable, the vehicle seats are still present in the storage area thereby reducing the available storage area.
It is also known that some supercab trucks have sideways facing jump seats with a seat base that can be folded up against the sidewalls of the truck cab. However, the seats still intrude on the storage area of the vehicle. Thus, none of these prior solutions have maximized both the seating and storage area of the vehicle.
It is therefore an advantage of the present invention to provide a vehicle seat that can be stowed to provide increased storage capacity in the floor of the vehicle without removal of the seat from the vehicle.
It is a further advantage of the present invention to provide a vehicle seat that can be stowed in a rear quarter panel of the vehicle to increase the storage capacity of the vehicle.
It is still another advantage of the present invention to provide a flat load floor for a vehicle that does not require removal of a vehicle seat.
In accordance with the above and other advantages of the present invention, a stowable vehicle seat is provided. The vehicle seat has a seat base that is slideably connected to the vehicle. The seat is moveable between a first position and a second position. In the first position, the seat is secured in the vehicle and is intended to receive a passenger therein. In the second position, the seat is located rearward in the vehicle adjacent a storage compartment. The seat base has a seat back rotatably connected thereto that allows the seat back to rotate between a normally up position and a folded down position. The seat base also has a pivot hinge located on an underside thereof that allows the seat base to pivot when the seat is located in the second position from a flat position to a side position such that the seat is at least partially disposed in a rear quarter panel of the vehicle.
These and other advantages, features and objects of the invention will become apparent from the drawings, detailed description and claims which follow.